A DEATH IN THE FAMILY by James Agee
James Agee was born in Tennessee in 1909 and graduated from Harvard University. He is considered one of the best writers of the modern age. Aside from A Death in the Family, his works include Let Us Praise Famous Men, which is a study of Alabama sharecroppers during the Depression, a volume of poetry, and a novella. Agee died suddenly in 1955, two years before A Death in the Family was published and won the Pulitzer Prize. A Death in the Family is considered by many to be the most beautifully written of all American novels. It begins on a summer night in Knoxville, Tennessee when Jay Follet receives a phone call about his father. He leaves his home believing that he needs to tend to his father who is dying. It ends up being a false alarm, and Jay begins the journey home. On his way back, he has an accident and is killed. The rest of the book switches back and forth in time between the viewpoints of Jay's wife, brother, and young son. The poetic structure of this book creates innocence, tenderness, and loss, which makes it an almost perfect piece of literature.
This book is for people who appreciate good, poetic writing. It is for people who love literature and are able to understand the emotions emitted through the words. This book is not what one would call interesting in terms of plot or story line; it is instead a work of art because of the poetic, lyrical movement of the language throughout the text. By writing this book, Agee gave society something truely outstanding.
I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read not because it's interesting (it's not), but because it is a classic book that has become a part of american history. I think that if a person just took the time to read the book slowly, even out loud, he of she will find that it is really an outstanding book.
A DEATH IN THE FAMILYby James Agee
James Agee was born in Tennessee in 1909 and graduated from Harvard University. He is considered one of the best writers of the modern age. Aside from A Death in the Family, his works include Let Us Praise Famous Men, which is a study of Alabama sharecroppers during the Depression, a volume of poetry, and a novella. Agee died suddenly in 1955, two years before A Death in the Family was published and won the Pulitzer Prize.
A Death in the Family is considered by many to be the most beautifully written of all American novels. It begins on a summer night in Knoxville, Tennessee when Jay Follet receives a phone call about his father. He leaves his home believing that he needs to tend to his father who is dying. It ends up being a false alarm, and Jay begins the journey home. On his way back, he has an accident and is killed. The rest of the book switches back and forth in time between the viewpoints of Jay's wife, brother, and young son. The poetic structure of this book creates innocence, tenderness, and loss, which makes it an almost perfect piece of literature.
This book is for people who appreciate good, poetic writing. It is for people who love literature and are able to understand the emotions emitted through the words. This book is not what one would call interesting in terms of plot or story line; it is instead a work of art because of the poetic, lyrical movement of the language throughout the text. By writing this book, Agee gave society something truely outstanding.
I would totally recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read not because it's interesting (it's not), but because it is a classic book that has become a part of american history. I think that if a person just took the time to read the book slowly, even out loud, he of she will find that it is really an outstanding book.